DN-Cromze 4.5-1.5
Really strange match: I never saw an opponent (or myself) having VAN-MON 4 times in a row including two times 42 in a row - but I had combos decent enough/fitting colours, so this was not really a disadvantage for me. Luck in drawing/not drawing made the difference in this match after all!

1*°-0 118-084
DN:+WIN-LIT +DUL-ELP (discarded: CHI-FE)
Cromze:+VAN-MON -MON-ATL
It smelled like a northern biggie early, so I was able to bother Thomas on his perfect route with 3 northern 6ers + 5 black and finally was lucky enough to get the green open I needed for my way to the southern destinations

2°-0* 124-120
DN:+MON-NO +MON-ATL (discarded: POR-NAS) found:+SSM-NAS
Cromze:+VAN-MON +DEN-PIT
I was not aware of Thomas' biggie at the beginning but my Eastern combo made me start with northern 6ers, which gave me longest but in the end Thomas only had 20/11 on his route, so I'd lose by 4 - Lucky again I found 1 out of 3 by drawing

2.5*°-0.5 116-116
DN:+SSM-OKL +DUL-ELP (discarded: KAN-HOU)
Cromze:+VAN-MON +SEA-NY
Superb combo with start and 8 locos on my side including a good route vs 42 (no chance for me to get orange) - maybe I buggered up the win with bad colour play, I could have played 5/2 in the end instead of 4/3 with more precaution but with many locos I always tend to carelessness

2.5-1.5*° 061-143
DN:-LA-MI -CHI-NO (discarded: WIN-LIT)
Cromze:+VAN-MON +SEA-NY
Nothing to do here - when I was aware of another northern biggie I tried to get 6ers in his way risking my tix, but even without Thomas blocking me from Miami, this was totally clear

3.5*°-1.5 115-108
DN:+HEL-LA +DUL-ELP (discarded: VAN-FE)
Cromze:+CHI-FE +DEN-ELP
Good route at the beginning for me, then I thought of CAL-PHO (as I discarded Van-Fe) on his side and made the mistake not to play on my colours a good way (5 white) so I was in trouble with longest and 12+9 on Thomas' side - he had 12/9/4 on his route and apparently had 9 (going to Chicago his last turn) - I only could have found 4 on my route and decided not to draw - and surprise: he had 4+9 (with 12/9 he would have won by one)

4.5°-1.5* 121-109
DN:+BOS-MIA +WIN-HOU (discarded: CHI-NO)
Cromze:+LA-NY +SEA-LA drawing:-NY-ATL
Having not that nice combo I got the perfect perfect PERFECT route for those tix including 5 black/4 black (with locos) and a 44er longest, but apparently Thomas had at least one biggie again - I had many tix on my route to draw (8/8/9/10/13) but Thomas only would win with 2 biggies (22/21/16) + a lil one (9/8) and I guessed with 2 biggies in the beginning he wouldn't draw with his last turn, as I nearly had the maximum tix on my route (I also could have had 16 instead of 24) - I was right

DN-U32 4-2
After a rather satisfying performance in match 1 I really played a bad way in match 2 - I made the wrong decisions, played overhasty and was "gained" with two winner combos in the final games.
Sorry again, Nette, I wish you more luck in your next matches.

0*-1° 104-117
DN:+SEA-NY +LA_NY (discarded: POR-NAS) drawing:-CHI-SFE
U32:+WIN-LIT +DEN-ELP
Having a 43er combo I thought even without longest this could be enough with some track points...but longest was really not a possibility for me without orange/purple in the beginning, I also needed my locos for 6 yellow. I found myself reaching my destinations just right on time with one 6er and 3 5ers only as Nette had a perfect 10er route including 4 6ers without start! She had 11 for sure, 2nd tic looked like 9 or 10, so I drew for 16/8/9 instead of making a final 4er - surprise: I didn't find anything and would have won without drawing as her 2nd one only was 4!

0-2*° 081-155
DN:+NY-ATL +MON-ATL (discarded CAL-SLC) drawing: +SSM-OKL +DAL-NY -BOS-MIA -MON-NO
U32: +all tix on her route, except for DEN-PIT I saw and 4 (+21 +16 +8 +10 +9, no idea of her initial ones)
With a rather bad eastern combo I tried to fake a northern biggie (useless as Nette had a biggie herself without the need to block) and afterwards I tried to find a northern biggie...without success - finding 11/9 in my first try near my route, Nette also started taking tix with many possibilities in/near her way - without one biggie for me, I couldn't win I thought and so I drew again 2 times with only 12+ tix out of my way...but everything was useless anyway as Nette had no negative one in the end

1*°-2 108-096
DN:+CAL-SLC +LA-MI
U32:+DEN-ELP +KAN-HOU
A game where the both of us were blocking Por-Nas, my luck she was unaware of Miami...longest decided in the end - anyway very well played by Nette with such a crap combo

2°-2* 116-105
DN:+DEN-ELp +DUL-HOU (discarded: NY-ATL) drawing: +DUL-ELP
U32:+LA-MI +CHI-NO
Struggle in the middle...after she was gone through Miami, I thought about 20/16 or 20/10 and drew...and found 10, and once more I would have won without drawing, lucky 2-2 after wrong decision

4°-2*° 130-105
DN:+DUL-ELP +CAL-PHO +LA-CHI
U32:+DAL-NY +? -drawing ? (4/11/11/12 on her route)
Not the colours to make a longest, I decided to make Cal-Pho alone, Nette seemed to have her own problems and did not block, so I had the chance to connect my 2 track-parts in Phoenix with two 44er ways in the end and Nette needed to draw with only 2 tix to find and the need to find both, without success

1: Hel-LA + Chic-LA. I begin with 6 white, The longuest way for me , but not enough, I draw at the end.
2. Wini-LR, Ok-SSM., best tickets for me, I wine easely
3: Wini-houston, Cal- SLC. Good tix but I have not the green and not the yellow: I Simulate Portland-Nash, and he want to block me : succesful trap, and the longuest with a litlle luck. proud of me .
4: Van-Montreal + Houston-KC: too speed for me and not the good colours: nothing to do.
5: Duluth- Houston, Toronto-Miami: It's hard, I don't want to. leave the way, but I lose finally. I draw at the end but only 1 possible ticket.
6: Ny-Dallas, Toronto-Miami , I leave SF-Atlanta.
I start with the 6 green( lucky!), him 6 black, and I understand quickly LA-Miami. I had not the 4 pinks for to block but I breake him. I win with the longuest way: Proud of me too!
good luck for the next DN

...no more Portland-Phoenix for Rob! But he had the chance to throw some Boston-Miamis

* start
° longest

My tix first:

1-0*° SEA-LA LA-CHI (MON-NO) vs both ELP
Better tix for me, I get better tracks in the beginning and made him go on slowly - so even with longest, Rob searched for Houston tix, but only found MON-ATL --> decider: better tix

2*°-0 SSM-OKL WIN-LIT (CAL-SLC) vs VAN-MON DEN-ELP
Longest was the key and even more 6 grey I took right after his 6 orange at the start --> decider: longest

2°-1* WIN-HOU KAN-HOU WIN-LIT vs HEL-LA CAL-PHO
I knew before taking WIN-LIT will break my neck...and it did as I was too greedy - it came to the situation 3 tix or longest but Rob made me chose longest by blocking 5 yellow (after 6 yellow) and destroying LIT - dead tic gave Rob the win --> decider: my greediness

3*°-1 SEA-NY VAN-FE (DUL-HOU) vs CHI-FE KAN-HOU
Rob started early do disturb my way and managed to kill VAN-FE but longest and 22 was too much, even more he had nothing fulfilled --> decider: better tix

Very quick games. Late for GSV and I was wanting to get matches done as well, so we were motivated.

*117:122
La-ny/dal-ny vs sea-la/cal-pho
longest wins the day
99:118*
van-fe/chi-fe vs Dul-hou/Win/lr
nice colors let me take key tracks first
*120:101
sea-ny/ssm-okc vs kc-hou/dul-hou
nice colors let GSV take key tracks first122:114*
Cal-pho/win-hou vs Sea-ny/la-hel
5 locos on white for GSV after he takes 6 white wins the game. figured he go down through Fe.. never mind.
*131:106
sf-atl/por-nash vs van-fe/den-elp
some games nothing goes right... in this case, I was the one in that category. GSV did just fine.
40:111*
Van-mon/Chi-no + 2 missed fiends and 1 hit vs Sf-ATl/Tor-Mia
some games nothing goes right... this time for GSV. I get yellow and orange early and nothing much for black and green. So, I choose north route and kill Van-Mon early. This was not your normal SF-Atl/Tor-Mia route.

...there are days when everything goes the wrong way! (Even without POR-PHO or BOS-MIA, Rob )

-you get ugly combos
-you take the wrong decision (even if it comes to 50-50)
-if you have a decent combo, you get ugly colours or miscount or just play like crap

Tin started first, longest all Tin except for game 3.

My tix first:

1 CHI-NO CHI-FE (POR-NAS) vs 21/22
My first idea to get northern 6ers worked and his route looked like 20/22/17/16 but after Gary played NY-PIT-CHI I already saw him connecting via DUL with red and black (as he did not play them before) and therefore stopped blocking --> big mistake, he went with 3 blue I could have blocked, but was too afraid as I would have lost both tix then - even finding VAN-MON didn't change anything --> I could have won by blocking on

2 CHI-NO LA-MI (POR-PHO) vs LA-CHI DEN-PIT
I started with 6 black and went on middle way to CHI as Gary took orange and purple and CHI-PIT - I built the southern part after he made his green and came to MIA while he connected POR and LA via blue and green. With 6 yellow left in my hand it was time for my second BIG mistake...With Gary having not played any yellow I can remember I took the 4er (thinking about a 17er) instead of A) making out with 6 or B) making 2er STL-NAS first - of course he blocked the 2er, so longest was gone and with him obviously having both tix (out of 8/11/16) my last chance was to find something, so I connected DUL but only found CHI-FE and higher tix out of my route (DUL-HOU would have been a tie, DUL-ELP a win, LA-CHI was not in the pile and DEN-ELP wasn't enough...so chance was not high anyway) btw A) and B) would have been a win for me, as Gary only had 2 1er in the end...and of course no 4 yellow --> 2nd unneeded loss

3 VAN-FE WIN-LIT (CHI-NO!) vs SEA-NY CAL-PHO
After 3 rounds of 6ers it was clear he once again had a northern biggie...I had yellow, orange, white and Gary grey, purple and 4 blue after taking black open...so it came to a 50-50 situation with me blocking Vancouver instead of Seattle...Without start I had not that much time and even more no colours to disturb him anywhere, so he went to LA and NY, maybe to prepare taking tix I thought...I just made my loop to get longest with my last turn and 3 trains left but Gary didn't take tix, so it was clear he had enough and he won by 5 --> well, unlucky 50/50

4 LA-CHI CAL-PHO (CAL-SLC) vs TOR-MIA SSM-NAS WIN-LIT
Perfect tix AND start, so I thought this must be it, but Gary held 3 and started with 6 grey and white...of course a typical strategy with eastern combo but maybe 2 northern + a fitting 3rd - I took yellow, orange and black using all my locos having only 4 white on my hand but the other colours for a nice connection, but no 5th white in sight - having start I thought I could draw to 46...still no white...even drawing to 48 brought no white and Gary made out quickly...with 2 white + loco after his early 6er white and so I lost one tic as I needed to go DEN-ELP with 2ers - Cromze praised Gary's colours after the game, so this was tricky (I only could have won with 5th white after taking to 46 and laying 5 white + 3er grey + 4er grey and a 45er route longest including one opp's turn less)

5 CHI-NO (yes, no typo) DEN-ELP (DAL-NY) vs POR-NAS VAN-MON
Northern Biggie alert once more...I managed to block both 20/22 but Gary made 17 and longest as I lost both of my tix to close the game quickly....and I lost by 1 as he had -20 and not-22

6 VAN-MON SSM-NAS (CAL-PHO) vs 17/17
We both made our ways separately without interfering....I miscounted for a perfect route where I needed 47!! trains for both tix and even more miscounted for longest without 2nd (paying not that much attention after the games before) and overdrew which gave him longest in 44 with a loop via 6 red as last turn - My drawing for DEN-PIT was useless for sure (-8) - this last one I really played like crap

On a more lucky day I really could have won this, but "anything goes" was not may parole of the day.

After this nightmare of a match I'm glad I only have one match left 'til 2nd deadline...

Strange tix all around. I was very lucky in first game to draw sea-ny/hel-la and the connecting the five red to complete. Had la-ny/chi-no originally - squeaked out the win

2nd game neither one of us made our tix I had kc-hou/den-elp; Alex hel-la; dul-hou. He achieved longest though and the win

3rd game seemed straight forward. sea-ny, cal-slc for me; lexx some small ones in the middle

4th game lexx could have blocked me chi-pit but didn't; allowed me to complete la-ny and cal-slc, albeit in roundabout fashion

5th game again battle of smaller tix. Lexx with win-hou and ny-atl; I had tor-mia and win-lr. He got enough 6ers + longest and got in my way enough to win by 3 even though dropping the 2nd tick

Last game the mighty tor-mia/bos-mia vs. okc-ssm, den-elp. I feigned la-mia with black and green. In the end I had too many track points racked up, Alex drew dul-elp, but had already drawn dal-ny dead the previous turn.